#Soft_Target #Terrorism 15 Takeaways Explained number 1-7

Albert Einstein has been quoted as saying;

"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones"  

Continuing to build on our #Soft_Target #Terrorism Series; 15 Take Aways from Soft Target Hardening; Numbers 1 through 7 explained;

• Psychological blind eye to Soft Targets – We can’t help but think that in a war, the US homeland is relatively safe from outside attacks. That wars are fought on a liner scale, with a definitive distinction between the opposing forces. In today’s 4th Generation Warfare concept, a theory of war-fighting evolution coined by William Lind and a study group that contained members from the US Military ground forces, Army and Marine Corps, nothing could be further from the truth. The 4th Generation Warfare’s concept is based on, no clear lines between opposing forces.
  • Some tactics include Terrorism as a main force multiplier
  • Non-State actor combatants; insurgency and guerrilla tactics
  • Use of any available means to fight the enemy, not only traditional means, i.e firearms and explosives but also non-traditional means; psychological warfare, use of modern technologies, media manipulation, political, economic, and social pressures
  • Non-combatants become tactical dilemmas, in that there is an increased risk, of what some call collateral damage, and potential support network for the insurgent/guerrilla forces
  • Direct attacks on the “Enemies” culture; values and beliefs systems, religious views and the propensity for genocidal acts against civilian targets
  • Operations tend to lean toward a Low-intensity style of conflict; Low-intensity conflicts are generally defined, as operations other than total war against smaller more agile enemies with the perceived absence of large formations and weapons systems; generally characterized by small unit operations
  • At least among one of the “Actor” combatants, there is a non-traditional or transnational base which causes the warfare to be highly decentralized
  • Finally, there is a perceived absence of a command hierarchy amongst at least one of the “Actor” combatants
  • Also in turning this so-called “blind eye” we tend not to want to believe that we will be attacked at our soft targets; Hospitals, Schools, Theaters, Entertainment Venues and other locations where we are least vulnerable.

• We need to understand that soft targets are hit around the World almost every day -- Recent Terrorist attacks have shown us, in recent weeks, that this principle is true; Attacks in Paris focused on local social gathering spots and a sports venue. In San Bernardino the attack focused on a company holiday party and in Colorado Springs, Colorado at a medical facility.
  • Soft Targets are becoming the “target” of choice for attacks because of one simple selection appeal; the absence of a robust security element associated with the target.
  • Attacking soft targets accomplishes many key elements to terrorism
  • Terror Attacks seek to create a public fear and anxiety
  • Terrorists tend to have randomness in the attack methodology which leads the population to lose confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens
  • Terrorists hope to create a public backlash so strong that government’s will concede to their demands
  • Terrorists not only want to effect the maximum amount of casualties, but as we are seeing with recent attacks, any amount of killed or injured is quickly becoming acceptable
  • Finally, hardening all possible target locations, across all avenues of society is not feasible. Not only through the associated economic impact, but our basic civil liberties would be infringed and we would surely become a “jailed” society

• Know the threat on your world and community – Terror threats aren’t just reserved for Islamic Terrorists. We face an infinite number of potential “Bad Actors”, from religious ideologies, political terrorists, National/Separatists, Anarchists to Ecology and Animal Rights Activists, to those that just have a Single Issue that doesn’t fall into any of the above categories. Remember, what we don’t know is worse than what we do know.
• Intuitively understand your vulnerabilities and how much risk you are willing to assume – Understand what and where your weaknesses are; fortify those locations, mitigate, plan, and prepare to respond to incidents. It has been said that “the best offense is a strong defense”. That just isn’t a catchy sports phase, that should also be your outlook on your soft target. Some of these defensive measures can be “passive”, in knowing what to look for; knowing what is “normal” and what isn’t. Having a situational awareness mind set

• Before investing in or relying too heavily on technology remember a popular military axiom: “The human is the best weapon system” – Nothing takes away from human interaction! A perceived human security system, even passive, is better than no security system at all. By honing your facility, understanding human detection tactics, and unapologetically engaging people in situations, where you have “a bad feeling” you are taking significant steps in defending your property and persons from harm. Use technology as a tool to assist you in protection; not as the main deterrent.

• Practice Good Steady – State Leadership for outstanding crisis leadership when it required – As I have written in the past, nothing will beat Leadership “buy-in” in to your security/protection planning. Leaders need to have an active role in your security planning, training and exercising. They are the ones that will need to have an active role in the response to a critical incident. After all, if the Leadership isn’t buying into the protection plan, how are they going to be able to answer the “hard questions” when the time comes?

• And finally for today; Take Steps today to harden your Facility – If you do one thing today, check your access system; meaning, see where the access points are to your facility; are they key controlled, if so, do you have an accountability of all keys to all entry points, offices, conference rooms, storage locations, and even your critical infrastructure locations, i.e Server Rooms, electric control panels, HVAC, Water. These steps aren’t hard; you just have to do them. It is better to check today and harden today, than to have to learn to react on the run. Check to see if you need to consider installing fencing, are your entry and exit points controlled? Does the “Guard dog”, and yes, I use that will all due respect to the most important person in your organization, the receptionist, know who is allowed behind the doors, what is the company access policy, are visitors required to have access to other areas of the organization.

Join me again Friday in the Next installment on my Soft Target Hardening Series as we go over the other 8 Soft Target Takeaways.

Ralph R. Fisk, ATO, MEMS

Director, Principal Consultant

Fisk Consulting

fiskcg at gmail dot com